Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
· Major League Baseball
5 - 6
Astros hold off Rangers 6-5 to keep pace in AL West and improve wild-card position
Jesús Sánchez had a two-run single for the Astros, who nearly squandered a 6-0 lead. But they remained a half-game behind red-hot Seattle for first place in the AL West and moved a half-game ahead of Boston for the second of three American League wild cards.
Houston led by five when pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez walked with two outs in the eighth inning. Jonah Heim’s pinch-hit homer off Enyel De Los Santos cut it to 6-3.
Kyle Higashioka singled before an RBI double by Josh Jung pulled Texas to 6-4 and chased De Los Santos.
Bryan Abreu took over and walked Alejandro Osuna before pinch-hitter Adolis García’s run-scoring single made it 6-5. Abreu retired Cody Freeman on a flyball to end the inning.
In the ninth, Abreu allowed a leadoff single to Josh Smith and a two-out single to Heim before striking out Higashioka for his seventh save.
Yainer Diaz hit an RBI double in a four-run Houston fourth that made it 6-0. Texas starter Merrill Kelly (12-8) yielded nine hits and six runs in three-plus innings.
Freeman hit a solo homer in the fifth for the Rangers, who have lost three straight. They are 3 1/2 games behind Boston for the AL's last postseason spot with 10 to play.
Houston starter AJ Blubaugh allowed two hits and struck out seven over three scoreless innings in his second major league start. Colton Gordon (5-4) gave up two hits and a run in three innings of relief for the win.
How can I watch Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros?
- TV Channel: Rangers at Astros 2022 MLB Baseball, is broadcasted on MLB.TV.
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Scoring Summary
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9th Inning | Higashioka struck out swinging. |
|
9th Inning | Heim singled to right, Smith to second. |
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9th Inning | Tellez flied out to left. |
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9th Inning | Langford struck out looking. |
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9th Inning | Smith reached on infield single to shortstop. |
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9th Inning | Dubón in left field. |
Statistics
 TEX |
 HOU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Games Played | 1 |
| 1 | Team Games Played | 1 |
| 0 | Hit By Pitch | 1 |
| 0 | Ground Balls | 0 |
| 11 | Strikeouts | 6 |
| 5 | Runs Batted In | 6 |
| 0 | Sacrifice Hit | 1 |
| 10 | Hits | 10 |
| 3 | Stolen Bases | 0 |
| 5 | Walks | 5 |
| 0 | Catcher Interference | 0 |
| 5 | Runs | 6 |
| 1 | Ground Into Double Play | 1 |
| 0 | Sacrifice Flies | 1 |
| 36 | At Bats | 30 |
| 2 | Home Runs | 0 |
| 0 | Grand Slam Home Runs | 0 |
| 18 | Runners Left On Base | 21 |
| 0 | Triples | 0 |
| 0 | Game Winning RBIs | 0 |
| 0 | Intentional Walks | 0 |
| 2 | Doubles | 2 |
| 0 | Fly Balls | 0 |
| 0 | Caught Stealing | 0 |
| 178 | Pitches | 135 |
| 0 | Games Started | 0 |
| 0 | Pinch At Bats | 0 |
| 0 | Pinch Hits | 0 |
| 0.0 | Player Rating | 0.0 |
| 1 | Is Qualified | 1 |
| 1 | Is Qualified In Steals | 0 |
| 18 | Total Bases | 12 |
| 41 | Plate Appearances | 38 |
| 324.0 | Projected Home Runs | 0.0 |
| 4 | Extra Base Hits | 2 |
| 6.9 | Runs Created | 5.7 |
| .278 | Batting Average | .333 |
| .000 | Pinch Hit Average | .000 |
| .500 | Slugging Percentage | .400 |
| .444 | Secondary Average | .233 |
| .366 | On Base Percentage | .432 |
| .866 | OBP Pct + SLG Pct | .832 |
| 0.0 | Ground To Fly Ball Ratio | 0.0 |
| 6.9 | Runs Created Per 27 Outs | 6.7 |
| 43.0 | Batter Rating | 38.0 |
| 18.0 | At Bats Per Home Run | 0.0 |
| 1.00 | Stolen Base Percentage | 0.00 |
| 4.34 | Pitches Per Plate Appearance | 3.55 |
| .222 | Isolated Power | .067 |
| 0.45 | Walk To Strikeout Ratio | 0.83 |
| .122 | Walks Per Plate Appearance | .132 |
| .167 | Secondary Average Minus Batting Average | -.100 |
| 10.0 | Runs Produced | 12.0 |
| 1.0 | Runs Ratio | 1.0 |
| 0.6 | Patience Ratio | 0.5 |
| 0.3 | Balls In Play Average | 0.4 |
| 89.8 | MLB Rating | 88.5 |
| 0.0 | Offensive Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
| 0.0 | Wins Above Replacement | 0.0 |
